NEIL WARNOCK: I WANT THE EXCITEMENT BACK

6 October 2016

Connor Pearce

This afternoon, Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock spoke to the press and media at Cardiff City Stadium for the first time, expressing his delight upon moving to South Wales.

“I’ve always liked the club, I’ve always got on well with the fans, which is unusual for me!” began Neil. “They’ve always been really respectful to me. They’re my kind of supporters, and I think they’ll enjoy my kind of football, get behind us and create that atmosphere that I love to work in.

"There are decent players at the club, and I think there are one or two good young lads. The attitude is spot on, and I enjoyed the session that we had yesterday. When you don’t win many games, you’re bound to be low on confidence, so we’re trying to instill confidence, and get into a winning habit as quickly as possible.”

Warnock, who has earned seven career promotions, spoke about his excitement towards being back in the game after leaving Rotherham United in May.

“I’ve only been here for a few hours, but I’ve really missed being in a dressing room, on the pitch, and the training areas," he added. "Also the people, because I do really like to involve everyone. If you get a club all together, you’ve got more chance of getting where you want to be.

"You’ve got to have ambitions and challenges, and going for that eighth promotion is the last challenge that I’ve got in my career to do, and I hope I can achieve that here. I’ve got the chairman, definitely, and the fans, who I know will get behind me. The training ground, the stadium, the people that I’ve spoken to so far, it does feel right. If a manager feels comfortable in his position, he can work a lot harder.”

Finally, the manager looked ahead to his first match in the Cardiff City Stadium dugout - next Friday’s Severnside Derby against Bristol City.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better! I think my lads will be ready for it after another week’s training. I think the fans are very important, and that’s why I’m looking forward to not just the Bristol game, but how we can put a solid foundation into the club while I’m here. I’ve had some great games down here, and fabulous memories.”

Warnock concluded: “I want this place buzzing, I want the stadium full. Not just for the Bristol City game, I want the excitement to come back to Cardiff City, because it’s a great club, and I want people to look forward to coming on a Saturday.”